The White Rose Resists

A Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler

Winner of the 2021 Christy Award for Historical Fiction

Inspired by an incredible true story, The White Rose Resists reveals the power of ordinary men and women to stand against evil…no matter the cost.

The ideal of a new Germany swept up Sophie Scholl in a maelstrom of patriotic fervor—until she realized the truth behind Hitler’s machinations for the Fatherland. Now she and other students in Munich, the cradle of the Nazi government, have banded together to form a dangerous battleground for truth: the White Rose. Risking everything to print and distribute leaflets calling for Germans to rise up against the evil permeating their country, the White Rose treads a knife’s edge of discovery by the Gestapo.

Annalise Brandt came to the University of Munich to study art, not get involved with conspiracy. The daughter of an SS officer, she’s been brought up to believe in the Führer’s divinely appointed leadership. But the more she comes to know Sophie and her friends, the more she questions the Nazi propaganda.

Soon Annalise joins their double life—students by day, resisters by night. And as the stakes increase, they’re all forced to confront the deadly consequences meted out to any who dare to oppose the Reich.

A gripping testament to courage, The White Rose Resists illuminates the sacrifice and conviction of an unlikely group of revolutionaries who refused to remain silent.

 

 

Praise

The White Rose Resists is that rare and powerful story that rips your heart apart at the same time that it inspires you to live for something greater. With a lyrical and skillful voice, Amanda Barratt tells the amazing true story of the German students who dared to use their voices in a culture of oppression. This novel will have readers turning pages late into the night; it will have their blood surging and boiling with a need for justice. Most of all, it will remind them of what is truly important. A beautiful masterpiece of a novel!”
-Heidi Chiavaroli, Carol Award–winning author of Freedom’s Ring and The Tea Chest

“Woven with bittersweet delicacy, Barratt’s intimate voice holds you so closely you are surprised at an outcome history already taught you. A monument to courage and conviction, The White Rose Resists blends Barratt’s hallmark of immersive research with poetic resonance. This staggering portrait of love, danger, treachery, and unfathomable bravery in a time of sheer evil leaves us, in Barratt’s intelligent care, with the most potent sense of shimmering hope. This book deserves to be on every shelf, at the center of every book club conversation, and on the tip of every reader’s tongue for years to come.”
-Rachel McMillan, author of The London Restoration

“Young, daring, faith-filled, in love with life, yet committed without reservation—this is the White Rose, a close-knit group of university students determined to defy Hitler and rouse the German people from their egocentricity and complacency, no matter the cost. With meticulous research and beautiful, brilliant writing, Amanda Barratt weaves tension, suspense, love, and loss with a skillful hand. A stirring reminder that courage should never be relegated only to the pages of history, The White Rose Resists kept me turning pages as fast as my eyes could read.”
-Cathy Gohlke, Christy Award–winning author of The Medallion

“In The White Rose Resists, Amanda Barratt cherishes the past and honors true lives while inspiring this present generation to courage. Her storytelling deftly moves between perspectives of characters both real and fictional, portraying radiant hope against a backdrop of darkness. Painstakingly researched and masterfully rendered, this account deserves space in every mind and heart.”
-Amanda Dykes, author of Whose Waves These Are and Set the Stars Alight

“Amanda Barratt masterfully brings history to life, honoring the unforgettable stories of those who lived before us. In The White Rose Resists, Amanda draws the reader into the heart of World War II Germany and introduces us to brave men and women who put their lives on the line because they were compelled to do the right thing. Their story is challenging, beautifully told, and carefully researched. I was entrenched from beginning to end and won’t soon forget their sacrifice.”
-Kelli Stuart, author of the award-winning Like a River from Its Course and A Silver Willow by the Shore